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I really enjoyed reading this book. It was well written and felt like the author put her heart and soul into this book. Her love for her daughter is shown through out the book and she sounds like a great mother. It really makes you take a look at your own life and be grateful for what you have. I would recommend this book to my friends and I am glad I had a chance to read it.

Carol(01/08/09)

Something Like Beautiful

A strong, honest memoir  Asa pulls no punches, however, I ask . . . as a single mother why would anyone deliberately put herself into this position of life  husband in jail, baby conceived in a trailer never to be able to enjoy the fruits of their love for each other.

As many other women, I too have wondered how women can stay in such abusive relationships, and after having read this sad, but beautiful book I came away with some new insight. This book is one womans story of the difficulties one faces in loving the wrong kind of man while trying to balance motherhood with work and ones self. The subject matter is not for everyone. But for those interested in taking a look at someone's life from a different perspective, it's worth an afternoon of quiet reading.

Talya(01/06/09)

An intense, emotional memoir about love, single motherhood, and depression.

In this powerful memoir Asha shares her life with the reader. Her emotions are so beautifully shared and it is not just about being a single mother or about loving an unavailable man, but a book about depression, family, and reflection. The writing feels a bit disjointed at times but I think it is Asha's poetic style of writing. I am looking forward to reading her other novels.

Kat(01/03/09)

Cliche

The author knew all the right things to say and share. But in spite of her assertions that she didn't want to be a victim, that's exactly the impression I got from her. When she speaks of acknowledging the "truth" she seems to hedge her life decisions under the umbrella of being adopted, being sexually abused as a child, being physically abused as an adult, being a single black mother, etc, etc. To me, this was further evidenced with all the statistics, facts and figures quoted. While I can understand how any one of this events could screw with your head, the author was trying to convince me she was past it all. I didn't buy it. Also I feel she is unconsciously putting an awful lot of pressure on her daughter to "save" her. The fact is, in the end, we must each be our own salvation.

Robin(12/28/08)

Something Like Beautiful

When I started this book, it seemed to be about choices and hopefulness, with an innocence about it. However, by the time I was to the middle, I stopped feeling sorry for the writer. I was distressed by the events in her life and what seemed to be her poor decision making skills. This woman is clearly intelligent, but how she choses to live her life was frustrating to read about. She obviously loves her child and very much wanted a family, but I found the book to be very sad. Asha is so gifted that I wanted more for her.

Beverly(12/15/08)

Knowing is more than half the battle - Rating = 4+

Beautiful writing will pull you into the journey of the author as she explains how she got to be "being nervous in front of life". Knowing the subject of the book I did not expect to be so absorbed in the story and did not want to leave it alone once I started reading. You will give pause at the ending of this reading to think to yourself -- how this could have gone another way but the birth of her daughter and her wanting to guard her daughter from all of the harm that come her way. You may not agree with all of her life decisions that she makes but at the end of the book, you will have much respect for the author and glad her illness has a name.

While in the prologue, the author says this book is for single mothers who do not understand that it is okay to feel rage and pain, I think this is a much broader story and it is for everyone and especially for people who feel that they need to appear unfazed and better than others so they can hold their life together.

Julie(12/15/08)

Something Like Beautiful

I loved this memoir! The prose is absolutely beautiful. This is a short book, but it packs in a lot of big emotions. If you have been a mother, loved and lost or ever felt depressed or lonely you will be able to relate to this woman. I will certainly be recommending this book and will be checking out her previous offerings.

Penny(12/14/08)

Something wonderful

Asha Bandele writes with a poets voice and words about being a single mom. Something Like Beautiful: One Single Mothers Story, is a memoir that takes time to read. It's about love, betrayal and redemption. And most of all its about trusting in oneself. It's about being a single mother and how love grows, even when neither mother nor child is a "perfect model". The book is so well written that the reader gets vested in the life that Bandele writes about and becomes part of her story. One hopes that everyone reads this uncommonly profound memoir and comes away from it being a better mother or father even if life itself treats you badly.

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